Civil Liberties
Kamala Harris's Unduly Narrow View of Bodily Autonomy
She rightly backs "my body, my choice" on abortion, but goes against it on many other issues.
'The Problem Is Spending': Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver's Vision for the Future
The candidate supports gun rights, wants to privatize government programs, and would radically reduce the number of federal employees.
Ted and Courtney Balaker: College Students Are Rejecting Wokeness
The filmmakers who brought The Coddling of the American Mind to the big screen discuss the students whose stories inspired the film and the state of the media, Hollywood, and storytelling.
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
The Kids Online Safety Act would have cataclysmic effects on free speech and privacy online.
Cops Threaten To Take Kids From Family Terrorized by Anti-Christian Reddit Group
Online trolls weaponized child protective services against J.D. and Britney Lott and their eight children.
Michigan Supreme Court Rules Against Detroit's Asset Forfeiture Racket
The ruling is the second recent court decision that has curbed Detroit's aggressive vehicle forfeiture program.
Faulty Facial Recognition Tech Got Him Arrested. Now He's Getting a $300,000 Payout.
Robert Williams was arrested in 2020 after facial recognition software incorrectly identified him as the person responsible for a Detroit-area shoplifting incident.
What James C. Scott Taught Us About Liberty, Authority, Surveillance, and Resistance
Scott wrote about the ways people resist authority—and the unmapped territories where much of that resistance takes place.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Nina Jankowicz's Libel Lawsuit Against Fox News Network Dismissed by Federal Judge
The judge concludes Fox's statements about Jankowicz's plans as Executive Director of the DHS Disinformation Governance Board, and the circumstances of her leaving the position, were constitutionally protected opinion—and, even if they were viewed as factual assertions, were substantially true.
The Trump Campaign Won't Stop Lying About a Minnesota Man Acquitted of Shooting at Police
Jaleel Stallings became an attack ad for Republicans. What they don't mention is that he was acquitted, and a police officer pleaded guilty to assaulting him.
Firearms Policy Coalition Takes No Prisoners in Sharp Response to Thin-Skinned Maine Governor
Gov. Janet Mills’s office referred critical social media posts to the police. The FPC pushed back.
Biden's Final Flip-Flop
The president's decision to drop out after insisting he never would continued a pattern established by a long career of politically convenient reversals.
"Someone Must Have Taken the Bar Exam for You" Was Just Insult, Not Libel
"[A]nyone who has used Facebook is aware that it is a platform that breeds spiteful and juvenile exchanges."
New Jersey Wants Your Baby's Genes
Collecting and analyzing newborns' blood could allow the state to surveil people for life.
Moving to Unseal Material in Pennsylvania Sen. Douglas Mastriano's Lawsuit Related to His Ph.D. Thesis
Sen. Mastriano (who is running for reelection to the state senate, and who ran in 2022 for Governor) is suing for, among other things, libel—but trying to keep the allegedly libelous material under seal.
Climate Protestors Sentenced to Jail for Blocking Major Roadway in Britain
Organizers of the highway obstruction will spend years in jail for their anything-but-peaceful protest.
Man Who Was Arrested for Flipping Off Cop Settles for $175,000
However distasteful, the First Amendment protects a citizen’s right to give a police officer the middle finger.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Mississippi's Jim Crow–Era Felon Voting Ban
"In short, 'cruel and unusual' is not the same as 'harmful and unfair,'" the court wrote.
The DOJ Claims Medical Marijuana Patients Who Own Guns 'Endanger the Public in Multiple Ways'
Defending the federal ban on gun possession by drug users, the government's lawyers seem increasingly desperate.
Calling Someone an "Amateur" May Sometimes Be Defamatory
“This Court rejects Defendants’ argument an ordinary person could find ‘amateur,’ in this circumstance, to refer to ‘one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than a profession’ or a ‘devotee, [or] admirer,’ given the surrounding context and circumstance.”
Why the New Republican Platform Is Moderate on Abortion
The party platform previously called for a constitutional amendment to protect unborn children. Now, it says abortion should be left to the states.
District Court Rejects Magistrate Judges' Gag Order on Publishing Name of Retroactively Pseudonymized Litigant
"Professor Volokh may not ... publicly disclose Plaintiff's name or personal identifying information in any future writings, speeches, or other public discourse."
Biden Cites the Farcical FBI-Assisted Plot To Kidnap Gretchen Whitmer as an Example of Political Violence
The plot to kidnap the Michigan governor was in large part concocted and encouraged by paid FBI informants and their Bureau handlers.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
Louisiana Federal Court Affirms the Right To Peacefully Protest
Nearly eight years after it was filed, the vexatious lawsuit against protester DeRay Mckesson has been dismissed with prejudice.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: DoorDash, Google AI, and French Wikipedia (Vol. 16)
Good intentions, bad results.
Tennessee Will Not Appeal Ruling Over Wildlife Agents Planting Cameras
While the decision is great news for Tennesseans, it's only the first step in reclaiming Americans' property rights against the open fields doctrine.
The 2024 GOP Platform Barely Mentions Gun Rights
The party's neglect of the issue is consistent with its domination by Donald Trump, who pays lip service to the Second Amendment but has never been a true believer.
Libel, Fire, Healing Chakras, and Real Housewives of New York
“The article also documents Plaintiff’s four failed attempts at appearing on the Real Housewives of New York, and the potentially circumstantial evidence that the fire was used as a publicity stunt as it occurred just one day prior to Plaintiff joining a talk show wherein she talked extensively about the fire.”
Cops Called on 8-Year-Old Child for Being Outside
"Can a child not ride her bike on the street in this neighborhood anymore?"
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Adding Injury to Insult: Kant on Defaming the Dead," by Prof. David Sussman
An article from the Defamation: Philosophical and Legal Perspectives symposium, sponsored by the Center for Legal Philosophy at UC Irvine.
The Best of Reason: Child Welfare Systems Are Trapping Innocent Families
Georgia parents were accused of child abuse after they took their daughter to the doctor. Does the state's story add up?
Journalist Sues Cops Who Handcuffed Him for Photographing 'Cop City' Arrests
After police detained Benjamin Hendren, they urged construction workers to lie about him.
9th Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity for Honolulu Cops Who Handcuffed 10-Year-Old Girl
Officers should have known that handcuffing a compliant 10-year-old is unnecessary, the court ruled.
